Thursday, March 31, 2016

Artist Jean-Michel Bihorel uses real dried blooms to create a stunning digital series called Flower Figures. The French creative says that this project is “a bit more experimental than what I usually do,” as his work typically features characters with a cartoonish look and feel. Here, he’s utilized 3D scanning technology to capture a bunch of dried white hydrangeas that were then multiplied and modeled over a female form. The result is a new being that’s simultaneously familiar and exquisitely fantastical.
Bihorel imagines his Flower Figures in a couple of poses that include crouching and reclining. With each position, the character showcases ease-of-movement—the hydrangeas feel like a hand-crafted costume rather than something that lives entirely on a computer.These are the dried flowers that inspired Bihorel to create Flower Figures:

Seattle-based company Artful Ashes helps its customers through the grieving process by creating unique memorials for those who have passed away. "Our artists capture the essence of your loved ones spirit in a swirl of color and ashes, sealed forever within beautiful glass art," the business writes. "These amazing pieces comfort your grieving, allowing you to hold and treasure your memories."
Using the art of glass blowing, Artful Ashes takes one tablespoon of a departed loved one's ashes and incorporates them into a glass orb or heart. The ashes appear in a swirled pattern alongside vibrant colors and metallic touches. One can also request to have the memorial inscribed with a message or their loved one's name. Most importantly, Artful Ashes takes great care to keep these remains separated, labelled, and safe throughout the entire process.
According to one Redditor, each piece is $145, but you can find more information on the Artful Ashes website.Photo via bud_babe

When Australian Erin Condrin was preparing for a school dance, she passionately wanted to include her service dog in the affair. Condrin copes with Classical Type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which causes consistent joint dislocations, difficulty with tasks like writing, food complications, and chemical allergies. To help her address these symptoms, last year, Condrin ended up adopting a service dog named Lacey from Canine Helpers Australia: an organization that relies on charitable donations to help others like Condrin.
"Thanks to Lacey, I am so much more independent. If I drop something, I can ask Lacey to pick it up, instead of waiting for someone to come over and help me. She helps me open and close doors, meaning I can use accessible bathrooms independently. I can now change clothes and carry bags more easily, and she even helps me with wheelchair transfers by placing my footplate in the correct position," Condrin told BuzzFeed. "Emotionally, too, she has made such a positive impact. During hospital stays and rest periods at home, I know I always have someone by my side. Being a young disabled person can be daunting, but facing the world with an adorable fluffball by my side makes it so much easier."
Considering all that Lacey's done for her, Condrin couldn't imagine preparing for senior formal without her. That's why she had JPS Design create customized, matching dresses for herself and her dog. "Lacey brought a smile to everyone’s faces," Condrin revealed. "The ladies at the hairdresser’s took lots of photos and kept giggling whenever they looked over at her." As for everyone at her school, they kept asking for photos of Lacey in her beautiful doggy dress, especially since she wasn't able to attend the actual dance portion of the evening. "We’ve only been a team for a few months, so I didn’t feel ready to take her to an event with a massive crowd and so many flashing lights. I can’t wait to take her to formal events in the future, though," Condrin explained.
The high school student is also incredibly grateful for all the humans who helped make her school dance special. "I’d like people to know that disabilities don’t stop for special occasions," asserted Condrin. "To make the night possible, we designed a dress from scratch to suit a wheelchair, hired a ramp to take to the venue, organized medications around the events, and more. But it was such a special night, thanks to all the people that went out of their way to support and assist me."

Taken throughout the streets of Paris over 50 years ago, this series of black and white images captures a sophistication and joie de vivre that encapsulates the infamous City of Lights. Infused with a sense of nostalgia, the way only a collection of vintage black and white pictures can be, these images reveal a window into the idyllic time period of Paris in the 1960's.
With a distinct street-photography style, the snapshots showcase a candid side of Parisian citizens as they go about their lives, enjoying a coffee and cigarette along the River Seine. However, despite the fact that these photographs were taken decades ago, Paris – with its quaint cafés and bohemian lifestyle—remains as recognizable as ever.

French photographer Greg Florent spent two months in Hungary so he'd be able to capture the magic of Budapest, the country's capital city. During this time, the artist photographed thousands of images so he could later create compositions showcasing both day and night in a single shot. Florent primarily focused these photos on Budapest's architectural landmarks, which are works of art in themselves. The resulting snapshots thus hone in on these structures, while the backdrop features a gradient that goes from day to night (or from night to day).
"Buda... Pest... two characters separated by the Danube," writes Florent, when describing this series. "Day... night... two atmospheres separated by an invisible thread. Budapest, 'pearl of Danube', knows how to seduce at any hour, so why choose, when one can enjoy all its charms at the same time?"
Below, we've also included the Budapest Daylight time-lapse, which Florent created to summarize his project.